The stage was set: the USA women's team had been undefeated going in to the final. They hadn't been in the final since 1999. Now, here they were in Vancouver, BC., Canada, a hop and a step from the Washington State/US border. Could they do it?
The question was answered within minutes of the opening kickoff. What fans worldwide saw was unprecedented in World Cup : 4 goals in 16 minutes, all by the USA. Carli Lloyd performed a hat trick-scoring 3 times in those first minutes. Truly a memorable event. The Japanese team was rocked to its core, but did not buckle. In the 2nd half, they japanese team came out and played with renewed vigor, scoring 2 goals in a short time. It appeared that the USA had a real game on. But, the USA women scored again and then turned to stout defensive play that shut out the Japanese the rest of the way. Final score: USA 5-Japan 2. Two American players: Abby Wambach and team captain Christie Rampone are veterans of many national teams. Christie Rampone is the oldest player at 40 years to play in a World Cup final.
USA fans dominated the sold out stadium as expected. Japanese fans had a small cohesive section which composed a representation of the Japanese national flag. While they had a couple of high spots during the game, it was a long evening for all Japanese fans here and at home. Few coud deny that Sunday was an All-American day?
On a side note, viewers could not overlook some interesting advertisements flashing across the walls of the seating areas: in bold caps GAZPROM lit up the stadium. Hmmm. Did Sepp Blatter make a deal with mad Vlad Vova to cash in on the World Cup? Everybody knows that Blatter is a bribe taker and Vova is a bribe payer. All this will continue to unfold as US Attorney General Loretta Lynch pursues the corruption inside FIFA. Look out Gazprom, here comes Loretta and the F.B. I.
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